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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25016098">The Heart of a Lantern</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MikeJaffa/pseuds/MikeJaffa'>MikeJaffa</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DC Super Hero Girls (Cartoon 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:21:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,743</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25016098</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MikeJaffa/pseuds/MikeJaffa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jessica must find out if Dexter attacked Hal.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Heart of a Lantern</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>DISCLAIMER:  DC owns the rights to Super Hero Girls.<br/>AUTHOR’S NOTE:  I haven’t seen all the eps of the series, so if I have messed up some continuity, my apologies.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jessica Cruz had just finished brushing her teeth after breakfast when the doorbell rang.</p><p>It was Hal Jordan.</p><p>Jessica smiled.   “Well, Hal, what are you doing in this part of town?”</p><p>“I was in the neighborhood and I wondered if we would go to school together.  You know, members of the Green Lantern Corps, all for one and one for all.”</p><p>“‘In the neighborhood’ at 7 o’clock in the morning?”</p><p>“Dinah Lance lives a couple of blocks away.  We pulled an all nightery getting ready for today’s math test.”</p><p>Jessica smiled as she pulled her schoolbooks together.  “An all nighter, huh?”</p><p>“Oh no, no, no, it’s not what you’re thinking.  She’s going out with Ollie and totally devoted to him.  She’s just tutoring me at m—gaah!”  Hal broke off and pointed at the mass of blue fir sitting in the middle of the living room:  Dexter, Jessica’s blue cat who oozed rage and hostility.  Which wouldn’t be a huge problem if he wasn’t also a Red Lantern.  “You sure you got him under control?”</p><p>“Stop worrying, Hal.”  Jessica pointed at the green box on the mantle.  “His ring is totally contained.”</p><p>“That’s what you said last time--”</p><p>“Well, nothing has happened since.  He’s really not so bad.”</p><p>“Well…if you say so.”  He crossed to Dexter and cautiously gave the cat a pat on the head.</p><p>Dexter didn’t move, yet somehow he seemed more homicidal.</p><p>“I think he wants to kill me, Jess.”</p><p>“He’s like that with everyone, Hal.”</p><p>“Do you have any idea how wrong that sounds?”</p><p>“Let’s go.”</p><p>After the door had closed behind the two teens, Dexter wheeled around to face the green box and glared at it.</p><p>8</p><p>8</p><p>As Jessica left Sweet Justice, Hal and Dinah were coming in.</p><p>Jessica smiled.  “Hey, you two!  Hal, how did the big test go?”</p><p>“I think I did all right, if I do say so myself.”</p><p>Dinah said, “Oh, Jess, I left my phone at home.”</p><p>“You want to use mine?”</p><p>“No, it’s no big deal.  But if you see Ollie, tell him we’re on for Saturday.”</p><p>“Will do!”</p><p>Jess had barely gone five paces down the street when she saw a familiar face across the street:</p><p>Carol Ferris, aka Star Sapphire.  Although she was dressed in civvies, Jessica recognized her.  The black-haired cheerleader did not look happy.</p><p>Jessica’s phone rang.  She looked at it:  One word, Ganthet, under the picture of a blue-skinned face.  </p><p>“What?  How?”  Jessica answered it.  “Ganthet?  Is that really you?”</p><p>“Of course,”  the guardian answered.  “I thought that given you and your peers’ preoccupation with concealing your identities, I would accommodate you by contacting you unobtrusively through native communications systems.”</p><p>“You…have my number?”</p><p>“After a fashion.  Your ring can act as a communications relay for your device, which would also allow you subspace contact with Earth should the need arise.”</p><p>“That’s good to know.  What do want?”</p><p>“I would speak with you in person.  Meet me on your planet’s moon.  Immediately.”</p><p>8</p><p>8</p><p>Even though he was not on Earth, Ganthet had chosen to wear terrestrial attire.  His wide brimmed hat, overcoat, and scarf were in varying shades of red, with the green lantern symbol on his left breast.  He sat at the top of the ladder on the descent stage of what the humans referred to as Apollo 11 and watched as Jessica landed next it.</p><p>As he descended the steps, Jessica said, “I came as soon as I could, Ganthet.  What is it?”</p><p>“Jessica Cruz of Earth, there are concerns abut your fitness for the Green Lantern Corps.”</p><p>“What concerns?”</p><p>“You’re harboring a red lantern.”</p><p>“Dex?  What about him?”</p><p>“You are letting your emotions cloud your judgment, Jessica.  He’s dangerous.”</p><p>“As long as he doesn’t have his ring.”</p><p>“He’s already got it away from you once, and as I recall, he almost demolished the largest building in your city.”</p><p>“He just wanted to play with the ball on top.”</p><p>“That statement doesn’t inspire confidence in your judgment.”</p><p>“What would you have me do?  Send him back to the animal shelter?”</p><p>“It’s been suggested you should turn him over to us.”</p><p>“And what will you do with him?”</p><p>Ganthet just stared.  </p><p>“No, Ganthet.  I’m sorry, but I won’t do that.  You’ll have to go through me to get him.”</p><p>“Defiance, Jessica Cruz?  I was old when your planet was newly formed.  That is a fight you would lose.”  Ganthet’s voice softened:  “Fortunately, no such order has been given.  I supported your induction into the Green Lantern Corps, and so far, my view holds sway over my fellow Guardians.  Your methods are…unorthodox,  but no one can dispute your results.</p><p>“But I would ask you to consider your situation.  There’s a reason the Guardians aligned themselves with the green light of will.  The other lights in the emotional spectrum, especially love and hate, can overwhelm their wielders.   You have seen that yourself.  Dexter remains dangerous.  I don’t want you to blind yourself out of some misguided devotion.”</p><p>“I’m not blind.”</p><p>“Your will is strong, Jessica,” Ganthet said, “but you have strong feelings, too.  Emotions have been the end for other lanterns, and I do not want to see--”</p><p>Jessica’s phone buzzed.  The ringtone was from a movie Babs liked, used in emergencies.</p><p>“Sorry, Ganthet.  I have to take this.”  She brought the phone to her ear.  “Babs?”</p><p>“Jess, where are you?  Are you all right?”</p><p>“Fine.  What’s going on?”</p><p>“Someone attacked Hal Jordan’s house.”</p><p>8</p><p>8</p><p>As Jessica came in to land near Hal’s house, she saw the other girls dressed in civvies near the back of the crowd.  The house itself was burning but fire trucks were hosing it down.</p><p>Jessica landed out of sight, changed to her regular clothes, and sidled up to Babs.  “What happened?”</p><p>Babs kept her eyes on the house and said quietly, “We got here after the first responders.”</p><p>“So you didn’t--”</p><p>Babs shook her head with a small motion.  “Everyone got out safe, but there’s no sign of Hal.”</p><p>“What did this?”</p><p>Zee said, “I…got a closer look…I think whoever did this had a ring.  One like yours.  Only red.”</p><p>“Oh, no…”</p><p>8</p><p>8</p><p>Jessica floated in through the hole in the wall where the window had been.  The living room had been trashed and the green box had been shattered.</p><p>“Oh, no,” Jessica said sadly.  “Oh, Dex.”</p><p>Kara floated in behind her.  “Looks like the cat’s out of the bag,” she said sympathetically.</p><p>Jessica nodded.</p><p>“Need help bringing him down?” Kara asked.</p><p>Jessica shook her head.  “I have to do this alone, Kara.  When Zee gets here, fix up my house before my parents get home.”  She held her ring in front of her face.  “Ring.  Locate Dexter.”</p><p>8</p><p>8</p><p>As she approached Mars, Jessica’s ring said, “Alert:  Second red energy signature detected.”</p><p>“Show me.”</p><p>A green globe of Mars appeared above the ring.  It showed two red dots:  A large glowing one for Dexter, and another hundreds of miles away, smaller and flickering.</p><p>“Ring, what is that?”</p><p>“Unknown.  Signature difficult to read due to interference.”</p><p>“Well…we’ll look into that later.”</p><p>It wasn’t hard to find Dex in the Noctis Labyrinthus:  Once she got close enough, she could follow the combination of claw marks and burns.  She found Dexter demolishing another boulder.  He was dressed in his red lantern uniform with his ring around his tale.  </p><p>Jessica landed.  “Dexter.”</p><p>Dexter turned to her, feigning surprised.  As before when he’d worn the ring, it provided a deep voice to translate his thoughts:  “Well, Jessica Cruz!  Come to bring the kitty back home?”</p><p>“You’ve gone too far this time, Dex!  You shouldn’t have attacked Hal Jordan’s home.  For your sake, I pray he’s all right.”</p><p>Dexter chuckled maniacally.  “Oh, you think I did that, do you?  What if I told you I’ve stashed his remains up here?  You’d have to dig up the whole planet, because I wouldn’t tell you where he is.”</p><p>Jessica stared.  The turned her back on the cat.  “Run away, Dex.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“The Guardians want me to turn you over to them,” Jessica said sadly.  “I can’t do that, but they won’t rest now that you’ve attacked a green lantern.  Run while you can.  Your ring should have coordinates to the Red Lantern homeworld.”</p><p>“The Guardians won’t be happy with you for letting me go.”</p><p>“I know.  But if I can’t protect someone I love, then I don’t deserve to be a green lantern.”</p><p>Dex hesitated.  Then he said, “Jessica--”</p><p>Their rings interrupted:  “Alert!  Incoming anomalous energy signature, bearing 135 degrees.”</p><p>Human and feline turned to look behind them.  A cage of red fire was flying towards them, and inside it, a blazing violet ring.</p><p>Jessica said, “Dex, what did you do?”</p><p>“I have no idea what that is, Jessica.  As I was about to tell you--”</p><p>The construct halted its approach.  The ring blazed brighter, and the red cage exploded.  A female voice boomed out of the ring:  “Jessica Cruz of Earth, you have much love in your heart.”</p><p>Jessica’s jaw dropped.  “Wha…?”</p><p>The ring flew to her ringless hand and settled on her ring finger.  “Welcome to the Star Sapphire cor--”  Violet and green energy exploded around her.   She screamed as her uniform shifted back and forth between green lantern and star sapphire, and the green lantern over her right eye melted and shifted to a violet heart and back.</p><p>The blast wave pushed Dex back.  He found himself standing next to Ganthet.  “Guardian!   Have you come to help her?”</p><p>“No, Red Lantern Dexter of Earth.  I am here to bear witness to her end.”</p><p>“What…?”</p><p>“I have seen this before,” Ganthet said solemnly.  “She has strong will but much love in her heart.  Unless she can choose which path to follow, the rings will tear her apart.”</p><p>Dexter turned towards Jessica as she fell to her knees, shaking and groaning in agony.  No more Jessica.  He would never admit he liked her, but the thought of her being gone…</p><p>Dex pushed himself through the energy storm towards the human who had adopted him.  “In brightest day,” he said.</p><p>Jessica’s eyes found him.  “What?”</p><p>“Your oath, the Green Lantern oath.  Say it, Jessica Cruz!”</p><p>Jessica looked away from him.  “I don’t know,” she said as tears ran down her cheeks.  “So much hate in the world…I have so much love to give…”</p><p>“Yes, you have much love in your heart, but your will is stronger.”</p><p>“What do you care?  You don’t even like me.”</p><p>“No, I don’t, but I respect your tenacity.  You won’t give up on me, and that’s an expression of your will.  Ganthet is wrong—your will can win.  Prove it, Jessica!  Say your oath!  In brightest day, in blackest…”</p><p>“…night, no evil shall escape my sight.  Let those who worship evil’s m-m-m—iiiiight…”  She broke off, shaking, her eyes closed.</p><p>“Beware your power,” Dexter intoned.</p><p>Jessica shuddered for a long second.  Then her eyes snapped open, her eyes blazing green.  She thundered, “GREEN LANTERN’S LIGHT!”</p><p>The green ring blazed brighter, her uniform shifted all the way back to Green Lantern, and the violet ring floated off her finger.</p><p>Dex pounced on the violet ring, wrapping it in red flame.  Jessica fired green light from her ring, wrapping Dex’ construct in her own emerald cage.  Then she collapsed onto the ground.</p><p>Dex landed next to her.</p><p>Jessica said, “Dexter, you didn’t attack Hal Jordan’s home.”</p><p>“No.  I was going to, but I decided dealing with you afterwards wouldn’t be worth the aggra—wait, you knew?”</p><p>Jessica sat up.  “Not until now.  I should have seen this coming.”  She fished her phone out of her uniform.  “Ring, I have to make a call.”</p><p>“Subspace link to Earth established,” the ring reported.  “Cellular telephone network accessed.”</p><p>She tabbed a number in her contacts and brought it to her ear.</p><p>Babs answered:  “Hey, Jess!  What up?  You find Dexter?”</p><p>“It wasn’t Dexter, Babs!  Carol saw Hal and Dinah together.  I think she got so angry she became a red lantern.”</p><p>“You don’t s—”  An explosion cut Babs off.</p><p>“Carol’s tearing up the school, isn’t she?”</p><p>“Got her contained in the football field, but that can’t last.”</p><p>“Where’s Hal?”</p><p>“Hiding in the locker room.  We could use a rescue from the group’s ring slinger.”</p><p>“On my way.”</p><p>8</p><p>8</p><p>Jessica and Dex came out of hyperspace above Metropolis, the Star Sapphire ring floating behind them.  From the looks of the damage, the fight was not going well for the other super hero girls.</p><p>Jessica turned to Dex.  “Dex, help the other girls.  And don’t hurt anyone.”</p><p>“I am not yours to order about!”</p><p>“I don’t have time to argue with you.  I have to find Hal.”  She paused and added, “You can help or not, but if you don’t, another red lantern will take your territory.”</p><p>Dexter hissed.  His ring translated:  “You are hoping to use psychology to get me to obey.”</p><p>“Is it working?”</p><p>Dex stared at her.  Then turned towards the fight.  “No one had better talk to me in infantile manner.  I’m not in the mood.”</p><p>“Are you ever?”</p><p>8</p><p>8</p><p>Lying on the ground, Kara blinked up at Carol, floating above her in a red lantern uniform.  But as Carol fired a blast, a red shield appeared above Cara.  </p><p>Dex landed next to her.</p><p>Kara got up.  “Good kitty!”</p><p>“I am not a good kitty,” Dex said, “but I am on your side for now.”</p><p>“I’ll take what I can get.”</p><p>8</p><p>8</p><p>Jessica found Hal cowering in the bathroom.  “Hal!”</p><p>“Jess!  Ok, great, you can stop her--”</p><p>“No.  This started with you, Hal, and there’s only one way to end it for good.”</p><p>Hal’s eyes widened.  “Are you crazy!?”</p><p>“Would you rather she destroyed Metropolis?”</p><p>“Good point.”  He got to his feet.  “All right.  I’ll do it.”</p><p>8</p><p>8</p><p>“Carol!”</p><p>Floating above the other battered Super Hero Girls, Carol turned and saw Hal standing on the ground.  “Well, Hal.  Come to beg for your life?”</p><p>“No, Carol.   I’ve come to apologize and ask you to take me back.”</p><p>“Do you expect me to believe that?”</p><p>Hal straightened.  As his confidence grew, his ring glowed brighter and his uniform appeared.  “Look, Carol,” he said as floated up to her, “you were great when we were going out, just way too clingy.  If you could give me enough space, we can make it work.”</p><p>“No… this is a trick…”</p><p>He took her hand.  “Have I ever lied to you?”</p><p>The red ring twitched and its glow faded a little.</p><p>Jess’s ring flashed, and the construct around the violet ring faded.  It drifted towards Carol.  </p><p>Hal said, “You know, I think that looked better on you than the red ring.”</p><p>“Well…”  Carol extended her hand.  The violet ring flew onto her finger.  The red ring cracked and disintegrated.  Her uniform changed back to Star Sapphire’s dress and tiara.</p><p>Hal smiled.  “Shall we go?”</p><p>“Let’s.”</p><p>As they floated way, Jessica landed next to Dex and her friends.</p><p>Babs said, “Are you kidding?  That’s it?”</p><p>“Yes,”  Jessica said, “as long as Hal isn’t a jerk again.”</p><p>“Oh,” Babs said.  “In that case, we are so doomed.”</p><p>8</p><p>8</p><p>Ganthet was waiting for Jessica and Dexter on the Moon next to the Apollo 11 descent stage.  </p><p>He said, “Your associates may be correct, Lantern Jessica Cruz.  You ended the conflict, but that does not mean your solution is permanent.”</p><p>“Maybe.  Or maybe it will work.  Time will tell.  Now.  What about Dexter?”</p><p>“As you humans say, the Jury is till out.  However. If you can still manage him--”</p><p>“I am not to be managed!”  Dexter protested.</p><p>“My mistake,” Ganthet said.  “As long as your truce with him remains, I do not anticipate an objection.  But we will be watching.”  He floated away. “Farewell.”  </p><p>Jessica and Dex watched Ganthet accelerate away and vanish into hyperspace.  </p><p>Dexter said, “Well, what now?”</p><p>“I was thinking,” Jessica said, “there some huge comets in the outer solar system you can use your claws on without threatening Earth.  Then we go home.”</p><p>“Very well.”</p><p>As they lifted off from the Moon, Jessica smiled and said, “You know, Dexter, this may be the start of a beau--”</p><p>“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Jessica Cruz.  I only tolerate you because you provide living conditions that are marginally acceptable.”</p><p>Jessica’s smile didn’t fade.  “Whatever you say, Dex.”</p><p> </p><p>The End</p>
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